"And O'er Earth's Troubled, Angry Sea": The History of Christian Science in the United States

by Rolf Swensen

Overview

Christian Science is one of the most unique and controversial of American religions, but there has never been a history of this influential metaphysical group, best known for its healing through prayer. Most attention has previously focused on the church’s founder, Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910). This compilation of nine previously published scholarly articles, buttressed by additional insight presented in the preface, introduction, and conclusion, should lead to further investigation of this compelling topic.

This volume investigates the origins of the Christian Science movement, illustrates how Eddy’s students -- mainly women -- helped its rapid spread through healings, how Eddy guided and restrained her students, examines some denominational growing pains, underscores how The Mother Church in Boston and Eddy’s Church Manual evolved, recounts dozens of testimonies of healing, and shows how local, or branch, churches operated before and after Eddy’s passing. Contrary to previous assumptions, the new Christian religion was surprisingly diverse, with almost one half of the membership coming from the lower middle and working classes. This vibrant church ultimately declined, due to excessive centralization and insufficient utilization of the membership, plus lack of social activities and the rise of medical science. Recent efforts to revitalize the movement through embracing communities are continuing.

“And O’er Earth’s Troubled, Angry Sea”: The History of Christian Science in the United States will appeal to Christian Scientists, kindred spirits in the metaphysical world, anyone interested in religion, and those who read social history. Each chapter is suitable for group discussions and for undergraduate or graduate classes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781040347928
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/21/2025
Series:	Variorum Collected Studies
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	266
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Rolf Swensen served as Acting Chief Librarian of Queens College, City University of New York, Chief Archivist of the National Archives of Papua New Guinea, and University Archivist of Oregon State University. Besides the articles reprinted and cited in this volume, he published scholarly articles on Iowa and Oregon newspaper and magazine editor Col. Ernst Hofer (1855-1934), Yellowstone Park, and bibliographic instruction in Eastern Europe, as well as five entries in Biographical Dictionary of American and Canadian Naturalists and Environmentalists (1997). His Ph.D. in United States History, with a minor in Ancient Rome, was awarded by the University of Oregon.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: “Mary Baker Eddy’s ‘Church of 1879’: Boisterous Prelude to The Mother Church,” Nova Religio 22, no. 1 (August 2018): 87-114.

Chapter 2 “’You Are Brave but You are a Woman in the Eyes of Men’: Augusta E. Stetson’s Rise and Fall in the Church of Christ, Scientist.” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 24, no. 1(Spring 2008): 75-89.

Chapter 3: “Pilgrims at the Golden Gate: Christian Scientists on the Pacific Coast, 1880-1915.” Pacific Historical Review 72, no. 2 (May 2003): 229-262.

Chapter 4: “’A State of Unrest and Division’: Christian Science in Oregon, 1890-1910.” Pacific Northwest Quarterly, 97 (Winter 2005/2006): 11-18.

Chapter 5: “The ‘Seekers of the Light’: Christian Scientists in the United States, 1890-1910.” International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society 1, no. 3 (2011): 115-144.

Chapter 6: “Eddy’s Immigrants: Foreign-Born Christian Scientists in the United States, 1880-1925.” International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society 2, no. 3 (2012): 21-39.

Chapter 7: “’Our Cause … Does Not Need Advertising, but Protection’: The Christian Science Movement Regroups, 1908-1910.” Journal of the Society for the Study of Metaphysical Religion 10, no. 1 (Spring 2004): 29-79.

Chapter 8: “A “Green Oak in a Thirsty Land’: The Christian Science Board of Directors Routinizes Charisma, 1910-1925,” Nova Religio 24, no. 2 (November 2020): 32-58.

Chapter 9: “’This is the Way, Walk Ye in It’: Rebuilding the Christian Science Movement,” Cultural and Religious Studies 2, no. 1 (January 2014): 45-58.

Conclusion

Bibliographic Essay